Climate Benefits of Hydrogen Are at Risk as Fossil Fuel Industry Pressures Mount

[NickB79]

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/climate-benefits-of-hydrogen-are-at-risk-as-fossil-fuel-industry-pressures-mount/?amp=true

Targeted support to enable hydrogen as a clean energy solution is valuable; unbridled hydrogen enthusiasm is not. The risks are twofold: First, that it distracts from the pressing priority of directly displacing fossil fuels with renewable electricity throughout the economy; and second, that it fails to tailor hydrogen production processes and end uses to those that are truly beneficial and climate-aligned.

Severe consequences will follow from a reckless start to the clean hydrogen economy. That’s because missing on hydrogen by a little actually means missing by a lot, quickly flipping the gas from a valuable tool for climate progress to an outright reverser of climate gains. As the Biden administration finalizes the details for these two policies, which could fundamentally shape whether and how hydrogen contributes to the clean energy transition in the time ahead, it must get them right.

[Think. Again.]

1. What I don't get is...

...why we are not working as hard to eliminate fossil fuel sources as we are to introduce non-CO2 sources.

In order for a transition to occur, the previous condition must decrease while the new condition increases.

We are still spending massive amounts of money on fossil fuel subsidies.

We are still allowing new fossil fuel extraction plants and new fossil fuel energy generation plants to be planned and built.

If we don't create a vacuum that clean energy can fill, we won't be making any progress in the NEED for non-CO2 energy systems.

[redqueen]

2. I think the reason why we're not working as hard to eliminate fossil fuel sources as we are to introduce non-CO2 sources

is most likely related to the amount of money in politics.